This Baby Dolphin Died Because Tourists Were Taking Selfies With It

In the most horrifying, generation-defining incident ever, an endangered baby dolphin was killed on an Argentinian beach last week after it was pulled out of the water and passed around by the laypeople and tourists to pet and pose with for pictures.

Even if you put aside the fact that this species was as sparse and at-risk as they come ( La Plata dolphins are the only type of river dolphin to inhabit saltwater—and there are less than 30,000 left all over the world), it is the most frightening commentary on our times that beach goers and tourists could actually do something like this.

When video footage of the incident was unearthed, it showed a man scooping up the little dolphin—and, instead of the crowd condemning him and insisting it be put back in the ocean, a curious crowd quickly gathered to touch and play with the animal. After they were through with their selfie-session, the baby was left to die in the mud (there are pictures of this, but they're too horrific to disclose). There isn't one, single instance in the captured footage that shows any member of the crowd wrestling to save the baby dolphin, or even help it. 

It really makes you wonder what kind of sick path we're all headed down. If anything, this is exactly the wake-up call we needed—if only a tiny dolphin didn't have to die to make us see the light.